Sex, Lies, and Mashups

On April 25th, there will be a partial lunar eclipse. Both New and Full Moons are used for prediction in astrology, and their influence is considered to extend until the next New Moon. Eclipses (which always happen at either a New (solar) or Full (lunar) Moon) have a far longer influence — 6 months to a year. (I’m going to get into some fairly detailed astrology in the first part of this post, so if you just want my conclusions about how this eclipse will play out in the USA, scan down the article for the text in bold.)

Eclipses are used for prediction in a couple of ways:

We can cast the chart of the actual event for a particular place — where one is living, or the capital of a country, for instance — and interpret the chart as it stands, with its own angles and houses.

We can also take that chart and arrange it around the wheel of another chart, such as one’s natal chart, or the chart of a country. This is known as a bi-wheel, and the natal chart is put in the center, using natal angles and house divisions.

For this upcoming eclipse, you will find the chart of the event, cast for Washington, DC, here, and the bi-wheel here, if you want to follow along with my interpretation.

The first thing we’ll look at is the Sun and Moon — the eclipse itself. Here, the Moon is in Scorpio, in the 2nd house and the Sun in Taurus in the 8th (remember that house positions are specific to the place for which the chart was cast — in this case, Washington, DC., which makes this chart relevant for the entire country. The planetary signs and aspects are relevant globally) Immediately, we also see Mars in close conjunction with the Sun, and Saturn conjunct the Moon (a conjunction with Sun or Moon, of course, means an opposition with the other light at a Full Moon). This means both Mars and Saturn, in opposition to each other, can be considered “rulers” of the eclipse. Ack! This is not a happy placement. “Cruelty” is the first word that comes to mind when Mars and Saturn are in tense aspect with each other, especially in Taurus/Scorpio.

Let’s keep looking and see what else stands out.

The next thing we want to investigate, of course, is the Ascendant, which is in Virgo, ruled by Mercury. As often happens when Virgo is rising, Gemini is on the Midheaven, making Mercury a strong ruler of the chart.

Now we want to see how Mercury is placed and aspected. It’s in Aries, which means that Mars — there’s Mars again! — Is the dispositor of the chart ruler, and of Uranus, also in Aries. Mars is in and rules the eighth house of this chart, and the second house, where the Moon and Saturn are located as well. The sexy warrior god is looking particularly strong here, especially when we remember that Mars is the traditional ruler of Scorpio, so it also disposits the Moon and Saturn. The only thing that weakens Mars in this chart is the fact that it is in Taurus, its detriment (the sign opposite one it rules). Venus in Taurus is strong in her own sign, and disposits Mars and the Sun.

So far we see a strong Martian theme, but also a strong Taurus/Scorpio, second/eighth house theme. Mars is all about moving forward and taking action, but the fixed signs and succedent houses like to stay put and build. Venus, the planet of money, love and sensuality, is empowered in her own sign, and by a close trine with Pluto, so we can’t ignore her. And let’s not forget Mercury, the ruler of commerce, communication and transportation, the planet that defines “staying loose”. What a mashup!

Now, what else pops out of this chart? You saw it right away, I bet — Jupiter right at the top of the chart, conjunct the Midheaven, ruling the Descendant (7th house) and the IC (4th house). This is certainly a powerful position for the big guy, but he is also in his detriment. Remember that Jupiter is not always benefic — in fact, particularly when conjunct the MC, he can make a big mess bigger, and in Gemini that can mean over-communication (as in TMI), or simply the exposure of lies. Big lies. The lesson of the Moon and Saturn in Scorpio in a Mercury-ruled chart is STFU, but not everyone will be paying attention. (If you aren’t sure what that acronym means, the first word is “shut” and the last is “up”. )

It also of interest that Jupiter rules the fourth house in this chart — traditionally, the house of “the party not in power” at the moment. In other words, the Republican Party, which may find itself very much in the spotlight, possibly in a defensive posture. (See preceding paragraph). Jupiter conjunct the MC from the 9th can also indicate major foreign policy events.

I’ll mention in passing a couple more points of astrological interest without going into detail — it will be good practice for you!

The Uranus-Pluto square is tight, with Pluto dispositing the Moon, and Uranus in a fairly tight inconjunct aspect with Saturn.

Neptune is in the sixth, tightly trine the Moon and sextile the Sun and Mars. It also forms a close semi-square with Mercury in the eighth.

The first thing we notice is that the see-saw of Taurus and Scorpio planets associated with the eclipse falls across the 5th /11th axis in the US chart, highlighting themes of children and youth, entertainment, sports and the arts, gambling and the stock market. With that Moon-Saturn opposition coming from the 11th house, the house of government institutions, such as Congress, we may see some fairly heavy-handed attempts at government regulation in any of those 5th house arenas. Since the Moon is there with Saturn, the regulations will be, quite probably, in response to fear among the general populace and/or pitched as being “for the common good”.

I’m also looking at both Uranus and Mercury in Aries falling in the USA's 4th house with Mercury quindecile a Scorpio Moon. This strikes me as an appropriate astrological signature for the cyber-vigilante group Anonymous, the Lone Ranger of the Internet. Given the strong Uranian, Mercurial and Martian influences in the eclipse chart, I would not be surprised if we saw a bit of cyber-skirmishing over the next few months. Keep up with your computer security.

So, enough of the technicalities — how do I see this all shaking out? (From here on, I’m going to gloss over the astrology. If you have any questions about how I reached my conclusions, feel free to ask in the comments.) Here’s what I think is ahead for us in the next six months or so…

Themes of personal and national resources, especially food and its production, as well as general issues of safety and security, are going to be front and center in our consciousness over the next few months. On a personal level, you might want to consider where your food comes from, and also how to best nourish yourself and those you care about, and how to consolidate, protect, and appropriately share your resources.

The topic of control, particularly emotional control, will be evident — in some cases, because of the lack of control, in other cases, because a need to control has trumped empathy. When people feel unsafe, they go for more control, every time. Try to use this energy to aid in self-discipline, and be careful not to let perceived expediency become an excuse to trample on another person’s rights, or their feelings. Develop or extend your meditation practice — the only real cure for anxiety and fear is a fully-integrated knowledge and understanding of the interconnectedness of all life, and the primacy of Consciousness.

We cannot ignore the strong position of Mars, the God of War, in this chart. We’ll see fights — both physical and verbal — over land and ethics, resources and financial realities, particularly financial relationships with other nations.

There are strong themes of sexuality and sensuality in this chart, and I hope this will lead to a more open national discussion of the problems caused by sexual repression and oppression. Things seem to be shifting in the zeitgeist towards greater acceptance of the marital rights of LGBT folks and towards a greater understanding of both sexual abuse and enculturated misogyny. I believe this will continue, but changing deeply-held beliefs is never easy. On a personal level, this is a good time to do some digging into your psyche to identify the sexual traumas and repressions that you hold. Some will have more pain around this than others, but the fact of growing up in Western culture makes it more than likely that, female or male, you have some trauma around sex and sexuality. This is a good time to do the inner work needed for healing.

Some kind of financial showdown is imminent, and I suspect we are going to be having vehement conversations about corporate rights and responsibilities. I’ll write more about this in a future post.

Communication networks, interstate commerce and transportation will be highlighted — and heatedly argued about. Personal privacy, and who controls personal information, will be another topic of argument.

We will also likely be hearing a lot about waste and waste management — I hope this will be one of the areas in which the current strong potential for scientific and technological breakthroughs will manifest. Of course, the whole concept of “waste” is a big part of the problem. Until we understand the cyclical nature of the Web of Life we will continue to tear it apart. Products should be manufactured and priced with their entire life-cycle in mind, including how the component materials will be recycled, and if that prices a lot of things out of the market, then so be it. Nature recycles. If we don’t, we put ourselves at odds with Nature. My money’s on Nature, in that confrontation.

If you define your Pagan path as a “Nature religion”, you might want to spend some time considering how you handle your household waste stream. Do you compost? Bring your own bags to the store? Try to minimize purchases that involve a lot of packaging? If you are politically-inclined, you might want to look into, and perhaps try to improve, how waste streams — garbage, sewage and industrial — are handled in your community. Is recycling mandated? Are sewage solids burned (bad), or composted (good)? Are there laws in place that require removal of toxic substances from the industrial waste stream before it reaches the sewage treatment plant? Local government is an important tool in creating environmental awareness and change.

I think I have hit most of the high points here. If you have any knowledge of astrology, I suggest that you look at how this eclipse chart falls in your natal chart, and determine in which areas of your life you need to take action, and learn control. There are two more eclipses in May, and I will discuss them in subsequent posts.

I know some of you may be wondering about the astrology of the Boston bombing, and the chart of that tragedy has a lot to say, but, frankly, I’m just not emotionally ready to write about it yet. I think the themes of compassion and courage I discussed in my post on the Spring Equinox chart apply to that event. I may write more about it in the future.

Diotima Mantineia began studying astrology in 1968, taking classes from Zoltan Mason in New York City. For the next 22 years, she practiced astrology only for herself and her friends, continuing her studies while watching an increasingly humanistic, psychologically oriented, modern astrology blossom through the work of leading astrologers such as Noel Tyl, Liz Greene, Rob Hand, Marion March, Stephen Arroyo and Howard Sasportas. In 1986, Diotima began her study of Wicca and started reading Tarot, discovering that she is a gifted intuitive. In 1991, she began practicing both astrology and Tarot professionally. She majored in plant and soil science both in college and grad school, and grows much of her own food and "materia magica" on her land in the mountains of western North Carolina. Diotima’s personal spiritual path is rooted in the Western mystery traditions, the principles of Yoga, and a profound connection with the natural world. Wicca gives structure to her spiritual journey, and she utilizes shamanic practices for healing and to live in harmony with Nature. Over 15 years of studying Chinese martial arts has given her a deep appreciation of Taoist thought which has strongly influenced her magical and personal philosophy. You can find her at www.uraniaswell.com